


Ebony Heist

by PorcelainLove



Series: The Problem with Ebony [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ebony - Freeform, Kissing, M/M, Sexual Frustration, Teasing, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 13:19:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11510253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainLove/pseuds/PorcelainLove
Summary: Noctis and Prompto help Gladio with his plan to keep Ignis on the straight and narrow and finally get over his addiction.





	Ebony Heist

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sauronix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sauronix/gifts).



> There is a third part to this, and it was so much fun to write. I never want to stopppppp--!

They decided to stay the night and leave the next afternoon. After the events of the previous day, Noctis and Prompto were trying their hardest to make Ignis proud and keep his stress levels down. Less stress meant he could take it easy and not have to think about staying alert—or so they said at least.

Ignis was going a little crazy. He sat in the backseat of the car now, behind the driver. Noct had taken the wheel and after a few near-misses with some pylons and an oncoming truck, he was finally driving closer to Ignis’s standards. At least, Ignis’s heart stopped leaping into his throat every few minutes.

Prompto still sat in the passenger seat, flipping through the radio stations and singing along to the music, much to the chagrin of everyone else in the car. 

“This,” grumbled Ignis to his much-abused neighbour. “This is why I don’t allow him to use the radio while I drive.”

Gladio nodded in agreement and shifted his legs again, trying to get as far away from the seat in front of him as possible. It wasn’t just Prompto’s loud voice (he actually sang quite well when he tried, though today didn’t seem like that kind of day), but the fact that he jumped and bounced in his seat with every new line. Gladio’s knees did not appreciate the motion.

Ignis and Gladio hadn’t been able to discuss the events of the previous day, and one of them, at least, was desperately looking for the chance to explain himself. Ignis wanted Gladio to know that his attraction to the man wasn’t just a caffeine-induced fever, even though it was the only thing that had brought them together recently. And although he suspected the answer, he wanted to know that Gladio’s enthusiastic responses had been because of a mutual attraction and not just the desire to sleep with whatever caught his current fancy.

For once, Gladio was not reading in his free time. Perhaps he had finally finished his seemingly never-ending collection of novels. Or, more likely, he couldn’t easily concentrate when the two in the front were causing such a racket. Noctis had joined in the singing and he was mildly off-tune.

Ignis turned his face to the window and stared blankly as the scenery rolled by at a lightning pace. They were travelling through Alstor Slough and he could see a pair of catoblepas in the distance. From far away, they looked like majestic creatures, much too large and peaceful to ever be a threat, but the team had found out the hard way that they posed a significant one. They also tasted delicious, if Takka was to be believed.

He felt a nudge and saw a large, closed hand extend towards him. Ignis raised an eyebrow at Gladio, but the other man just smiled and upended the contents into Ignis’s hand. Ear plugs. Gladiolus was a saint. The plugs were promptly put to good use and the racket in the car diminished to a suitable level. Ignis shifted his head and mouthed his thanks. He got a brilliant smile in return, amber eyes twinkling. 

Gladio shifted again, trying to get comfortable as he laid his head against the window.  Unfortunately, the road conditions were less than pleasant, and with all the bouncing going on inside the car, it didn’t look like he would be getting any decent rest.

Sighing, Ignis uncrossed his legs and smoothed out his pants, taking off his jacket and folding it up to create a suitable pillow before tapping Gladio on the shoulder and gesturing to his lap. There was clear gratitude on the Shield’s face. He shifted across the seats and curled up, laying his head in Ignis’s lap and breathing deeply before closing his eyes.

Ignis put his one arm protectively over Gladio’s shoulders, and threaded the fingers of his other hand through Gladio’s hair. There was a hint of sweat on his brow, but the hair under his fingertips was silky and smooth, smelling faintly of pine. Gladio really did use the best shampoo. 

He ran his fingers through Gladio’s hair, massaging the scalp below, unconsciously. It was very relaxing, and soon enough, Ignis could feel Gladio’s shoulders begin to rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm as sleep overcame him.

Another glance at the front of the car showed that Noctis and Prompto were still deep in the midst of a singing contest. Ignis bent his head and pressed warm lips to an even warmer temple, a move he couldn’t stop himself from making, before he himself leaned back in his seat and let his mind fade away.

He awoke what must have been at least half a day later, as the sky was a dusky pink mixed with orange and there were lights on outside the Regalia. It was silent—there was no one else in the car with him, and he shivered suddenly, missing the warmth that Gladio took with him wherever he went.

Looking out the front window, he could see a shock of blond hair in the store. It could only be Prompto. Noctis was nowhere to be seen and Gladio was also strangely absent. Suddenly, there was a knock at the window. Ignis looked out and upwards to see the young future King standing there, fingertip still hovering near the glass for another impending tap.

“Oh, you’re up,” came the muffled voice through the window. The door opened and Noct moved aside to let Ignis escape the confines of the Regalia, waiting until his advisor was done stretching to continue to speak. “Gladio’s gone to get us a room and Prompto’s just finishing up the shopping. He found a new recipe you wrote down and was going to try and find the ingredients. I’m heading over to the diner. Wanna come with?”

“I really should help Prompto. He doesn’t know precisely how the check for the freshness of the vegetables. I don’t want—“

“Specs, he’s fine. Don’t worry so much. Let us take care of you for once.” Noct was firm, mouth set in a line. “Literally my whole job is to get you to the diner for dinner, could you just let me have this one?”

“…Fine. But I won’t be responsible for any altered flavour profile.” He allowed himself to be pulled along and into the diner, only glancing back once when he heard the trunk of the car slam down with some force. Prompto waved sheepishly at him as Gladio came up behind and said something to the blond. Then they both came inside as well.

As they all looked at the menu (Ignis slightly dismayed by the lack of options, while the others greedily ordered the most unhealthy meal they could) something outside caught his eye. The shopkeeper across the way was hanging up a sign in the window, and although Ignis couldn’t make it out clearly, he could read the large, blocky print announcing OUT OF STOCK. Just how much did Prompto buy, anyway?

After they had eaten, there was still an hour or so of light left. Noctis had mentioned wanting to fish all day and, conveniently, there was a pond nearby. Ignis and Noct headed for the dock while Prompto fished out his camera from his backpack and announced his desire to take evening shots. Surprisingly, Gladio offered to go with him and the two of them left in the opposite direction. Ignis watched them go, eyes drawn to the larger man’s tight, tight pants and all the feelings seeing those gave him before realizing that Noctis had been staring at him with an odd expression on his face.  Waving him off, they both headed for the water.

Thankfully, the dock was well-lit, so while Noct played around with his rod and reel, Ignis sat on the wooden planks and took out a well-worn notebook, fully intending to finish categorizing the strengths and weaknesses of their most recent daemon conquests. At some point well past dusk, their other companions joined them and persuaded Noct that he wouldn’t be catching anything in the near future and that after a day of driving, he should get some rest. They headed back to the Station.

Gladio had managed to secure one large room for the four of them, and it was only after they had all showered and gotten a few games of King’s Knight in (Noct and Prompto, obviously) that they decided to get some sleep. The two younger men had beds at the far end of the room.

Once there were clear snores coming from the other side, Gladio left his bed and joined Ignis on his. He brought his legs up from the floor, sitting cross-legged, and gently pried the notebook and pen from Ignis’s fingers. He tossed them both on some nearby luggage.

“Hey, Iggy, how are you feeling today?”

“I…am feeling better. Drinking a lot of water helps quite a bit. And the rest. Mind over matter.”

“Great, but that’s not all I meant. Like… are you still…” He trailed off, not entirely sure how to say it.

“Deceptive? No, I believe that part of me has vanished into the ether.” Ignis smiled ruefully. “Apologies for treating you that way, Gladio. It was… improper.”

“No sweat. Besides, now I know you’re basically a recovering junkie.” He laughed quietly, careful not to disturb the others. “Anyway, you know I’ll help in whatever way possible, so just… if you’re having problems, don’t hide them from me, k?”

“Understood and… sorry. Once again.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it.” And with that, Gladio brought his face forward and brushed his lips across Ignis’s. It was gentle, barely a feather touch, but Ignis felt his body light up. He had the sudden urge to pounce on the other man. An urge he pushed down, deep. This was not the place, especially with two other sleepers in the room.

Gladio seemed to know how Ignis was feeling because the corner of his lip turned up in amusement. 

“We’ll have to continue this conversation another time.” And this time he pressed his lips to Ignis’s with force, tongue flicking out to lick them open. Teeth gently fastened around Ignis’s lower lip and nibbled until Ignis gasped for breath. And then it was Ignis who pulled Gladio in for an open-mouthed kiss. 

There was a deep chuckle as Gladio pulled back, and brought his hand down Ignis’s body, trailing a finger from collarbone to pectoral to stomach. Thick fingers breached the sanctity of Ignis’s shirt, opening a few of the buttons to touch the firm, soft skin beneath. Blunt nails traveled upwards to tweak a nipple, drawing a half moan from Ignis before the hand went further down and slowly, surely, confidently pressed against his pant zipper. Ignis was half-hard before he even knew what was happening. Gladio gave him a leisurely squeeze. Ignis felt the blood leave his brain and head south.

Peeking behind him to make sure that Noctis and Prompto were still dead to the world, Gladio bowed down and pressed his full lips against the hard outline of Ignis’s cock through his pants, opening his mouth a little to exhale a long, hot breath of air that Ignis felt through the fabric. 

Ignis bit back a moan at the sight of Gladio’s face pressed into his lap.  _Astrals above, Lord Bahamut give me your strength!_

Within an instant, it was over—and not in the way Ignis wanted. Gladio sat up, adjusted his own pajama pants, and smiled warmly at the other man.

“That was just a taste of what I want to do to you, Iggy.” His voice was rough, lust evident in his tone. “But you don’t get anything yet. You owe me for teasing me the other day, and I intend to collect.”

Ignis swallowed the lump in his throat, fingers itching to drag Gladio back down, back over to him, anything! But he restrained himself.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta take care of something.” And with that, Gladio raised himself off Ignis’s bed and headed into the attached washroom. Ignis switched off the dim light above his head and lay back down on his bed, begging any of the Six who would listen to help him calm down, cool his raging hormones. He refused to touch himself, although he did palm himself once through his pants just to see how bad it was. Rock hard. Gladio was an evil, evil man.

If he listened really carefully, he would swear he could hear Gladio in the washroom.  There was a slight slapping sound, as if… _Oh Shiva_ , as if Gladio was touching himself in there. 

He shut his eyes tightly, as if that would stop his imagination from running wild, and even with his mind aflutter, began to fall asleep. There was a faint sound as the washroom door opened and shut, and perhaps even a hint of a hand on his head, before he fell under.

This way of life continued for another week or so. Noctis eventually turned the driving back over to Ignis, who was happy to oblige. Prompto spent his time in the car playing video games, occasionally pausing when his phone ran out of battery while Noctis surfed the net. While they were heading to Lestallum, they were also in dire need of money and so stopped more often than not to do hunts. 

Aside from fighting the monsters that appeared along the way, or completing hunts and finding ingredients for desperate civilians, Ignis actually had a lot of free time. Noctis and Prompto had taken over cleaning the car, inside and out, and part of Ignis was proud of the fact that he seemed to be rubbing off on them. Apart from the fact that he drove the Regalia, they chased him away from the car. It bothered him at first, but then he reasoned that it gave him more time for cooking and cataloging.

Gladio was, during the day, very helpful. He volunteered to get any supplies Ignis needed from the shops, although oddly enough, there were many OUT OF STOCK signs that seemed to crop up after they left a Station. Gladio made sure to sharpen all the cooking knives appropriately, and was keeping Ignis hydrated and distracted enough to, slowly but surely, start working through his cravings for Ebony.

Night was a different story. More often than not, Gladio informed them all that there were only a set number of rooms available with the requisite number of beds. Gladio seemed especially mournful about the fact that, yet again, he and Ignis would have to share. He would, without fail, torture Ignis with his kisses, his heat, his touch. But never allow release, at least, not by Gladio’s own hand. Ignis felt like he was in a semi-permanent state of arousal and, of course, that made him hypersensitive to everything going on around him.

Gladio doing his morning stretches? Attractive.

Gladio wiping voretooth gore from his sweaty, heaving chest? Arousing, somehow.

Gladio licking ice cream off a spoon? Polishing his broadsword? Unbearable.

It took some time to notice, but Ignis began to suspect something was wrong with the Regalia. Their gas mileage was definitely not as good at it once was, and that only meant one thing: their car was in dire need of a pit stop.

As he was pulling into the nearest Coernix Station, he clicked the radio on. Everyone else had fallen asleep in the car and Ignis needed some company. The announcer was just in the middle of a news report.

“…And all the Cleigne region of Eos is reeling this week from an astronomical increase in the price of Ebony, the leading coffee brand this side of Altissia. Shopkeepers are saying that there is such a sudden increase in demand for the product that they are running out of stock. There is simply no clear explanation for what has happened, but we have a caller who has a theory…”

Ignis switched the radio off, looking suspiciously at his companions. Now that he thought about it, there was usually an overabundance of Ebony—at least when he still drank it. To have the stocks running so low, and so suddenly, seemed very suspicious.  As did the fact that it was mainly happening in Cleigne, a region they had barely left all week.

Turning the key, Ignis felt the engine die and he sat in the seat for a moment more, just thinking. It was true that none of the diners they went to seemed to have any Ebony.  Ignis didn’t ask for one himself, of course, but he had heard other customers reacting with irritation to the explanation that, “Sorry, we appear to be out of stock.”

Unbuckling his seatbelt, he opened the car door as quietly as possible and moved to the trunk. It did seem like the back of the Regalia sat lower than the front, a feat that shouldn’t be possible unless there were multiple Gladios in the rear.

Multiple Gladios…  Ignis liked the sound of that. He shook his head. _Not the time, Scientia._

Pressing the button on the key fob popped the trunk and Ignis pulled it open. There was the cooler of ingredients and a small backpack with curatives spilling out. Ignis really needed to have a talk with Prompto about that. Those were the sights he was expecting. 

The dozens and dozens of cans of Ebony, practically bursting out of the rest of the trunk… that was a surprise.

Ignis honestly didn’t know how to react. He left the trunk lid ajar, looking closed from afar, but the occupants of the car would realize it wasn’t. Then he went into the Crow’s Nest and chose a seat near the window, ordered a cool drink, and waited for the rest of his friends to wake up.

In due time they did. Prompto was first, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out before noticing that they were a) parked and b) Ignis wasn’t there. The shock was evident on his face from where Ignis sat and Prompto must have said something because in an instant the other two were wide awake as well. Gladio was the first out of the car, perceptive enough to notice that the trunk was ajar.

He ran to it, opening it, and Ignis could see him crinkle his brow in exasperation. Gladio looked around quickly and spotted Ignis through the diner window. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, slammed the trunk shut, and said something to the other two before heading towards Ignis. The others followed closely.

Ignis let Gladio, Prompto, and Noctis sit down across from him in the booth and order their own drinks before speaking. It was a tight squeeze, mainly because the bench seats hadn’t been designed with someone of Gladio’s bulk in mind. Ignis toyed with the straw in his mouth before taking a long sip. His fingers trailed through the condensation on the glass, doodling abstract patterns while his friends sat silently, anxiously awaiting his words.

“So.” Ignis began smoothly. “Is there anything you wish to tell me?”

Noctis began. “It was Gladio’s idea!”

“What? Noct, you traitor!” came the hissed reply and then a yelp of pain from Prompto.

“Prompto,” Ignis continued. “If you would please.” He stared down both Gladio and Noctis and they wiggled back against the seat cushions.

“Well, it’s like this.” Prompto leaned forward. “After what you and Gladio told us the other day, about your addiction and all, we all agreed to … um… help you.”

“What exactly did this help entail?”

“…Gladio figured that if we bought up all the Ebony we could find that even if you wanted some, there wouldn’t be none to buy and… you wouldn’t have that temptation around.”

“I see.”  Ignis rested his chin in the palm of his hand, considering. He honestly didn’t know what the three of them had been planning, but at least the base of it all was kind of sweet, in a way. Sweet with a tinge of no confidence.

“We just care about you, that’s all! We thought it we could make it easier…” The boy trailed off, at a loss for words. He looked to his left and right but neither of his neighbours said a thing.

“You thought I couldn’t do it on my own, you mean to say,” Ignis retorted a little grumpily.

As Prompto opened his mouth to respond to that accusation, Ignis waved his hand and spoke again. “I did have a, shall we call it, moment of weakness. Fair point to that, but did you think I would never catch on?”

This time Noctis answered, a sullen voice that he reserved almost exclusively for his own father. “We didn’t think that far ahead, we just knew you needed our help.”

“I _need_ nothing from any of you, Noctis, aside from your loyalty and commitment. To go behind my back to, to treat me as if I were a child… Unacceptable.” He tapped his fingers against the table impatiently. In truth, he didn’t know if he was annoyed with them all, or he just felt he should be—they were only trying to help. 

“Noct, Prompto, go wait in the car. I need to talk to Iggy alone.” Gladio finally spoke up.  He elbowed Prompto in the rib in order to push him further towards the aisle.

“Aw, what? Come on man, we just ordered drinks!”

“Then wait somewhere _else_.” Gladio shoved hard with his hip and Noctis tumbled out of the booth, almost hitting the waitress who was just arriving with their drinks. They took what they had ordered, mumbled their thanks, and moved on to a booth as far away from Ignis and Gladio as possible. Gladio watched them go before turning his eyes back towards Ignis.

“Look Iggy,” he began but stopped when he noticed Ignis’s upraised palm. Ignis was also watching the other two men leave and only lowered his head and turned to face Gladio when he saw them sit down.

Gladio tried again. “Iggy, look, I know what you’re thinking…”

“Do you really?” And Gladio couldn’t help but look up into Ignis’s eyes when he noticed the mirth in his voice.

“I, uh, I thought I did… but now I’m not too sure. Hey, are you laughing?”

And Ignis was, quietly, chuckling to himself. 

“Ignis, what the fuck?”

“Language, Gladiolus. Such words do not befit your status as Shield.”

“Bullshit, Iggy. Why the hell are you laughing? Weren’t you just angry?”

“I figured I should be, but then I realized that try as I might, I wasn’t.” Ignis shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of his water, tonguing the straw after he had had his fill.

“Wait, if you’re not angry, then what was all that just now?” Gladio motioned towards Noctis and Prompto who, upon noticing a finger pointed in their direction, shrank down in their seats.

“A bit of fun?”

“Fun? You… you never cease to amaze me, Iggy. You really had me going for a second there.”

“I know. I’m a master manipulator,” Ignis deadpanned. “By the way, did you know you started a crisis?”

“We what now?” Gladio blinked in confusion, completely lost.

“I heard on the radio that the entire Cleigne region is suffering from a shortage of Ebony. The prices have skyrocketed. We are sitting on a figurative goldmine.”

Gladio took a sip of his own drink, too confused to comment on the matter.

“So let me get this straight. You aren’t angry.”

“For the final time, no, I am not upset with any of you. Actually, in a strange fashion it was a nice gesture. Misguided, surely, but the intent was kind. If anything, you have been helping me more than you can imagine.”

“Oh yeah? What do you mean by that?”

“Well.” Ignis raised his fingers, ticking them off one by one as he spoke. “You have kept me company. You have been plying me with water and liquids to flush out any evils that remained in my system. You’ve aided me with cooking. You’ve kept the others in line.  And,” he reached his final finger, “you have been keeping me so sexually frustrated that I have no choice but to ignore all other cravings.” 

He dipped that last finger into his glass and slowly licked off the drop of water that hung off of it. Gladio’s eyes remained glued to the finger even after Ignis had finished his little show.

“So what you’re saying is…”

“What I’m saying, my dear Gladio, is that I need to repay you for all the teasing you’ve been doing to me this past week. Plus, it would be a waste not to sell off all that Ebony you have in the trunk. We might as well capitalize on your deception. I’m sure the shopkeepers around here might be interested in some Ebony, say, at a fifty percent price hike?”

“You sneaky, conniving fucker.” Gladio ignored the admonishing look as he grinned and shouted towards the Prince. “Hey, Noct, Prom, get over here!”

They looked startled before dunking down a heap of change to pay for their drinks (and, Ignis hoped, a tip for their poor waitress) before coming back to join Ignis and Gladio.

Just before they arrived, Ignis leaned forward and whispered, “Play your cards right, Gladiolus, and tonight just might be the night I show you just what kind of man I really am. And I think you’ll like it.” 

And Gladio, suddenly tongue-tied, could only nod his head in agreement.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully all you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Thanks to everyone who commented/kudos on the first and second part. You guys are the best! xoxo


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